Non traditional (CC - Uni) premed question

[clownsaroundme]

---

Members do not see this ad.

Hello,

I did piss poor in high school and thus started taking my education seriously upon reaching community college. Anyways, I finished CC and am now finishing up my bachelor's at my Uni... however I have a question:

When applying to med school, they obviously receive both transcripts I am assuming...This may sound a bit weird too, but I think i'll have better performance (and harder classes) at my uni...do they still compile the two and evaluate you from there? or do they hold upward trends in harder science classes in better light?

Also, when I took gen bio and gen chem at community college...I just received a compilation grade for the lab and lecture. Even on the transcript there is nothing for lab, just a nice big compiled grade for both components in one. However, at my uni, the lab and lecture are separate grades. Will this appear like I didn't take labs for genbio/gen chem at my CC?

Also...please be give me advice... should I retake gen chem? I got a C in both I and II at my CC. It was when I just started college and didn't take it too seriously... I also got A in both gen bio I and II at my CC. I also just received an A for the first part of Ochem at my uni....assuming I just continue with upward trends of As/ B+ at my uni, would this help ease the two Cs? I'm sure you guys hear this question all the time, but two Cs in both gen chems looks so bad (especially from a community college)? I know the usual advice is to not retake Cs (only C- and below) but keep in mind these two Cs are from a CC....am I possible for redemption for possible consideration to state schools assuming a strong mcat and good ECs as well as a high gpa from my uni? My gpa at CC when I transferred out was like 3.53 overall and 3.0 BCP gpa (2 As and 2 Cs accordingly)...again, planning for a much higher sGPA and probably higher overall gpa after my two years here.


Sorry for such a lengthy post and thank you so much for the feedback guys.

 

[Drogo]

Hello,

I did piss poor in high school and thus started taking my education seriously upon reaching community college. Anyways, I finished CC and am now finishing up my bachelor's at my Uni... however I have a question:

When applying to med school, they obviously receive both transcripts I am assuming...This may sound a bit weird too, but I think i'll have better performance (and harder classes) at my uni...do they still compile the two and evaluate you from there? or do they hold upward trends in harder science classes in better light?

Also, when I took gen bio and gen chem at community college...I just received a compilation grade for the lab and lecture. Even on the transcript there is nothing for lab, just a nice big compiled grade for both components in one. However, at my uni, the lab and lecture are separate grades. Will this appear like I didn't take labs for genbio/gen chem at my CC?

Also...please be give me advice... should I retake gen chem? I got a C in both I and II at my CC. It was when I just started college and didn't take it too seriously... I also got A in both gen bio I and II at my CC. I also just received an A for the first part of Ochem at my uni....assuming I just continue with upward trends of As/ B+ at my uni, would this help ease the two Cs? I'm sure you guys hear this question all the time, but two Cs in both gen chems looks so bad (especially from a community college)? I know the usual advice is to not retake Cs (only C- and below) but keep in mind these two Cs are from a CC....am I possible for redemption for possible consideration to state schools assuming a strong mcat and good ECs as well as a high gpa from my uni? My gpa at CC when I transferred out was like 3.53 overall and 3.0 BCP gpa (2 As and 2 Cs accordingly)...again, planning for a much higher sGPA and probably higher overall gpa after my two years here.


Sorry for such a lengthy post and thank you so much for the feedback guys.

Contradicting yourself now? 🙂

The 2 C's, which I'm sure the grading scale at your CC counts a C as a 2.0, really hurt your sGPA. Getting A's in both would then have your gpa equalize out at a 3.00 for both courses. (remember that that the grades get averaged out between old and the retake). Punching in some stuff you could see your sGPA at your CC jump up by .5 just by doing this alone. IMO it is worth it to retake those courses and just smoke them. It would look even more impressive if you retook them at your uni and aced both.

IMHO it does look pretty bad that you got those 2 C's in gen chem at your CC. I recently just transferred to a uni and I can attest to the fact that some community college courses are rigorous but definitely make it very doable to get a a high A/A- with no major issues. I feel like the A's I got in gen chem at my CC would probably have been B+'s or at the minimum A-'s at my uni.

Universities acknowledge that CC's combine their lecture/lab in one course hence 4 cr hour courses. Versus your typical 3 + 1 scheme for lecture/lab at a uni.

Anyways good luck.

 

[Juan Solo]

Hello,

I did piss poor in high school and thus started taking my education seriously upon reaching community college. Anyways, I finished CC and am now finishing up my bachelor's at my Uni... however I have a question:

When applying to med school, they obviously receive both transcripts I am assuming...This may sound a bit weird too, but I think i'll have better performance (and harder classes) at my uni...do they still compile the two and evaluate you from there? or do they hold upward trends in harder science classes in better light?

Also, when I took gen bio and gen chem at community college...I just received a compilation grade for the lab and lecture. Even on the transcript there is nothing for lab, just a nice big compiled grade for both components in one. However, at my uni, the lab and lecture are separate grades. Will this appear like I didn't take labs for genbio/gen chem at my CC?

Also...please be give me advice... should I retake gen chem? I got a C in both I and II at my CC. It was when I just started college and didn't take it too seriously... I also got A in both gen bio I and II at my CC. I also just received an A for the first part of Ochem at my uni....assuming I just continue with upward trends of As/ B+ at my uni, would this help ease the two Cs? I'm sure you guys hear this question all the time, but two Cs in both gen chems looks so bad (especially from a community college)? I know the usual advice is to not retake Cs (only C- and below) but keep in mind these two Cs are from a CC....am I possible for redemption for possible consideration to state schools assuming a strong mcat and good ECs as well as a high gpa from my uni? My gpa at CC when I transferred out was like 3.53 overall and 3.0 BCP gpa (2 As and 2 Cs accordingly)...again, planning for a much higher sGPA and probably higher overall gpa after my two years here.


Sorry for such a lengthy post and thank you so much for the feedback guys.

I had a similar experience as a student. I did much better at a four year university with a much more difficult course load than I did at a CC.

So,
1) Yes, they receive all your transcripts, including if you went to more than one CC.
2) AMCAS will compile all of your transcripts. The ADCOM's at various medical schools will see your upward trend in academics and most will consider it to be to your advantage depending on the degree of the trend.
3)When you upload all the info into AMCAS it will ask you if this grade for this course includes a lab. For the classes at CC, you will click yes.
4) As far as whether to take gen chem over, well then that is up to you. If you do well at your university and you have a competitive GPA then I don't think you have to. Receiving A's for upper division science course at a four year clearly demonstrates your ability to succeed in rigors science courses.

Good luck and keep up the hard work.

 

[clownsaroundme]

I had a similar experience as a student. I did much better at a four year university with a much more difficult course load than I did at a CC.

So,
1) Yes, they receive all your transcripts, including if you went to more than one CC.
2) AMCAS will compile all of your transcripts. The ADCOM's at various medical schools will see your upward trend in academics and most will consider it to be to your advantage depending on the degree of the trend.
3)When you upload all the info into AMCAS it will ask you if this grade for this course includes a lab. For the classes at CC, you will click yes.
4) As far as whether to take gen chem over, well then that is up to you. If you do well at your university and you have a competitive GPA then I don't think you have to. Receiving A's for upper division science course at a four year clearly demonstrates your ability to succeed in rigors science courses.

Good luck and keep up the hard work.

Thanks for the reply. Would you re-take them in my position? If they average both and take that then I don't really see a point....let's say I finish these next two years with like a 3.8 ogpa and like a 3.6-3.8 sgpa....would you retake then? I'm just not sure the extent of Cs in gen chem and their damage 🙁..

 

[Juan Solo]

Thanks for the reply. Would you re-take them in my position? If they average both and take that then I don't really see a point....let's say I finish these next two years with like a 3.8 ogpa and like a 3.6-3.8 sgpa....would you retake then? I'm just not sure the extent of Cs in gen chem and their damage 🙁..

Well, from what I have gathered different ADCOM's have different views about having non-stellar grades early in your academic track record. So in other words, it's school specific and also reviewer specific. Also, I am not sure that they "average out." For example if you get an A in retaking gen chem and you previously got a C then I don't think it's a "B" because you didn't earn a "B." Instead they will see that you redid the course earned an "A" for the second attempt. If I were in your situation and lets say I did well in a upper division chem courses at a four year university in addition to doing pretty well on my other upper division science courses then I personally would let it go and instead focus my time and effort in other things... your current course, EC's etc.

 

[Drogo]

Well, from what I have gathered different ADCOM's have different views about having non-stellar grades early in your academic track record. So in other words, it's school specific and also reviewer specific. Also, I am not sure that they "average out." For example if you get an A in retaking gen chem and you previously got a C then I don't think it's a "B" because you didn't earn a "B." Instead they will see that you redid the course earned an "A" for the second attempt. If I were in your situation and lets say I did well in a upper division chem courses at a four year university in addition to doing pretty well on my other upper division science courses then I personally would let it go and instead focus my time and effort in other things... your current course, EC's etc.

Essentially the average between the two individually counted course grades are taken is what I meant. In the short term I know it will suck to have to take take gen chem 1 & 2 again, but seriously it could mean a nice little bump in sGPA that could come in handy in the long term. IMHO. Also if you barely scratched C's, seriously how well did you learn and retain the material? It comes back on the MCAT so why not take the courses again, ace them and at the same time master the material?

Here is an AMCAS grade conversion guide:
https://www.aamc.org/students/download/181676/data/amcas_grade_conversion_guide.pdf

 

[clownsaroundme]

Essentially the average between the two individually counted course grades are taken is what I meant. In the short term I know it will suck to have to take take gen chem 1 & 2 again, but seriously it could mean a nice little bump in sGPA that could come in handy in the long term. IMHO. Also if you barely scratched C's, seriously how well did you learn and retain the material? It comes back on the MCAT so why not take the courses again, ace them and at the same time master the material?

Here is an AMCAS grade conversion guide:
https://www.aamc.org/students/download/181676/data/amcas_grade_conversion_guide.pdf

This is definitely something I've considered...the only problem is I am currently a junior at my uni and still have physics to go. I decided against taking physics I and II over the summer to make my senior year okay (I have a lot of BIOL classes left too so I considered it)...so my plan was to take biochem and another biol class over summer I and II to make my senior year more about mastering physics while still taking a moderate load of other sciences.

Would you recommend I take gen chem I and II over the summer and just suck it up with a harder senior year and not much of a summer? It already sucks that I am taking physics as a senior because that means a year off in between applying because I'll have to take the mcat as soon as I graduate (which is the same time as ill be finishing physics). Combine taking a year off with a subpar CC performance and I don't think i'm a very competitive applicant even with two stellar years at a uni under my belt.

Again, thanks for the replies guys. I'm really just trying to figure out WHAT-ifs...

 

[Drogo]

This is definitely something I've considered...the only problem is I am currently a junior at my uni and still have physics to go. I decided against taking physics I and II over the summer to make my senior year okay (I have a lot of BIOL classes left too so I considered it)...so my plan was to take biochem and another biol class over summer I and II to make my senior year more about mastering physics while still taking a moderate load of other sciences.

Would you recommend I take gen chem I and II over the summer and just suck it up with a harder senior year and not much of a summer? It already sucks that I am taking physics as a senior because that means a year off in between applying because I'll have to take the mcat as soon as I graduate (which is the same time as ill be finishing physics). Combine taking a year off with a subpar CC performance and I don't think i'm a very competitive applicant even with two stellar years at a uni under my belt.

Again, thanks for the replies guys. I'm really just trying to figure out WHAT-ifs...

I would suggest you take the gen chem sequence over the summer, but the thing is I personally do not know you and only you will know if you have the academic prowess to keep up in these fast paced spring/summer courses(6-8 week courses, depending on prof can be no joke). If you have ample free time in the summer I would say go for it and you will have a slight edge being that you have seen the material already. I would double check and make sure you do not get stuck with some horrible professor(s) though.

Also take a breather, this is a marathon not a sprint. I would hate to see you in here again with a thread about applying with a sub-par cGPA/sGPA because you rushed this whole process. Take a swing by the "What are my chances forum?" and you will see it littered with threads of people who just got a little careless with things.

Long story short, just continue on with everything and just keep rocking courses. If after you finish physics and any upper lvl. courses then decide if you feel you could use that little bump in sGPA to make you a bit more competitive. Again though do not get caught up in this, you have a whole packaged deal to think about.

 

[clownsaroundme]

I would suggest you take the gen chem sequence over the summer, but the thing is I personally do not know you and only you will know if you have the academic prowess to keep up in these fast paced spring/summer courses(6-8 week courses, depending on prof can be no joke). If you have ample free time in the summer I would say go for it and you will have a slight edge being that you have seen the material already. I would double check and make sure you do not get stuck with some horrible professor(s) though.

Also take a breather, this is a marathon not a sprint. I would hate to see you in here again with a thread about applying with a sub-par cGPA/sGPA because you rushed this whole process. Take a swing by the "What are my chances forum?" and you will see it littered with threads of people who just got a little careless with things.

Long story short, just continue on with everything and just keep rocking courses. If after you finish physics and any upper lvl. courses then decide if you feel you could use that little bump in sGPA to make you a bit more competitive. Again though do not get caught up in this, you have a whole packaged deal to think about.

Thank you for the wise words. I realize that I need to stop having such a fast paced mind and relax haha. This is something I'm going to look into. Should I take the lab component too? I never did bad in my gen chem labs back at my CC....but obviously I only have one grade as it is compiled. What would you say?

 

[Drogo]

Thank you for the wise words. I realize that I need to stop having such a fast paced mind and relax haha. This is something I'm going to look into. Should I take the lab component too? I never did bad in my gen chem labs back at my CC....but obviously I only have one grade as it is compiled. What would you say?

Yes, if you are taking it at your uni you will have to take the lab component also. Again though play with some grades and see what your sGPA will end up at over the long run after completing a lot more science courses and see where you'll be sitting at depending on the projected outcomes of future grades. (ideally you want to be at bare minimum no less than say a 3.5 for your sGPA obviously higher the better!)

Just crunch some stuff and see where you could potentially be at down the road, if it seems like retaking your gen chem sequence is going to be worth the time and effort then well go for it. 🙂 Again do not get all OCD about this stuff (happens to us all) and enjoy your break ok. Have a nice holiday.